Damn poison oak, my nemesis! Please, make it go away without harming the unborn..
April 2, 2010 10:56 AM Subscribe
What to do about a probable systemic reaction to poison oak? There's a catch...I'm pregnant.
I have had poison oak a few times in my life, but things were good for a couple of years. Never a super serious reaction anyway. But, apparently, being pregnant is making me extra sensitive. Had it a month ago, but not too serious. Have it now...pretty serious.
-Tuesday (3 days ago): Rash on my neck and arms
-Wednesday (2 days ago): Oozing started, and rash more on my face (cheek).
-Thursday (yesterday): Rash in new places (more on arms) and much more severe in itchiness. The right side of my face/cheek is very swollen. And oozing.
-Today: a couple of new spots (leg & hand)....5 days from when I think I was exposed. Feeling generally crummy- lack of sleep, blah, blah, blah.
I have seen this thread and done tons of googling. I tried Zanfel two days ago, for a total of 3 times so far, and while it helps with the itching, it has made no difference in the severity of the rash or prevention of more spots. I went to the doctors yesterday, and she prescribed prednisone (hesitantly because I am almost 4 months pregnant & prednisone is not known to be safe during pregnancy- its a class C). Her concern was that it could go near my eye or cause more throat swelling (which I have slight symptoms of- hasn't gotten worse in 24hrs). I have not taken any prednisone yet, because I want to see if I can do without first and use it as a last resort...or maybe not at all.
I have taken some benadryl pills...which helps with sleep for about 4 hours until it wears off. But, I have to take 50mg to get any noticeable effect. Calamine is ok for the itch, but really, nothing is working. I'm severely uncomfortable and feel like a burning elephant man. In total, it is on my entire neck, right cheek, chin, some of left cheek, and about 50% of each arm.
What would you do? Wait it out? (How long will that be, crystal ball?) Take the prednisone (they do give it to women who go into premature labor, so the infant's lungs develop)? Any homeopathic or natural remedies?
I have had poison oak a few times in my life, but things were good for a couple of years. Never a super serious reaction anyway. But, apparently, being pregnant is making me extra sensitive. Had it a month ago, but not too serious. Have it now...pretty serious.
-Tuesday (3 days ago): Rash on my neck and arms
-Wednesday (2 days ago): Oozing started, and rash more on my face (cheek).
-Thursday (yesterday): Rash in new places (more on arms) and much more severe in itchiness. The right side of my face/cheek is very swollen. And oozing.
-Today: a couple of new spots (leg & hand)....5 days from when I think I was exposed. Feeling generally crummy- lack of sleep, blah, blah, blah.
I have seen this thread and done tons of googling. I tried Zanfel two days ago, for a total of 3 times so far, and while it helps with the itching, it has made no difference in the severity of the rash or prevention of more spots. I went to the doctors yesterday, and she prescribed prednisone (hesitantly because I am almost 4 months pregnant & prednisone is not known to be safe during pregnancy- its a class C). Her concern was that it could go near my eye or cause more throat swelling (which I have slight symptoms of- hasn't gotten worse in 24hrs). I have not taken any prednisone yet, because I want to see if I can do without first and use it as a last resort...or maybe not at all.
I have taken some benadryl pills...which helps with sleep for about 4 hours until it wears off. But, I have to take 50mg to get any noticeable effect. Calamine is ok for the itch, but really, nothing is working. I'm severely uncomfortable and feel like a burning elephant man. In total, it is on my entire neck, right cheek, chin, some of left cheek, and about 50% of each arm.
What would you do? Wait it out? (How long will that be, crystal ball?) Take the prednisone (they do give it to women who go into premature labor, so the infant's lungs develop)? Any homeopathic or natural remedies?
Best answer: It's not that prednisone isn't safe, it's that it's not known to BE safe. Class C is "balance risks of not giving the drug vs. adverse effects." Now, looking up on safefetus.org, it seems as though the adverse effects include adrenal suppression, cleft palate, and an increased chance of stillbirth -- so I personally would do what I could to avoid it. If the symptoms affect your comfort but not your health, I would recommend gritting your teeth, dosing up on Benadryl (which is quite safe in pregnancy), and riding it out.
posted by KathrynT at 11:11 AM on April 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by KathrynT at 11:11 AM on April 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Don't screw around by getting advice from unqualified people on the internet. Talk to your pharmacist. If that doesn't help you make your decision, get a opinion from another physician.
posted by grouse at 11:16 AM on April 2, 2010
posted by grouse at 11:16 AM on April 2, 2010
A cool bath with oatmeal will help the itching. Tie it up in some cheesecloth, cleaning an oatmeal clogged drain is no fun. (DAMHIK, IJKOK)
posted by mollymayhem at 11:20 AM on April 2, 2010
posted by mollymayhem at 11:20 AM on April 2, 2010
Go get some kind of mud facial masque at the drugstore. The fewer ingredients and the simpler the masque, the better. I like Queen Helene mud masque. Slather the stuff generously on all affected parts. When it's thoroughly dry, stand under a tepid shower to rinse it off or just leave it on. It's safe for your face and shouldn't exacerbate the rash. This will help stop the itching and dry up the rash. Repeat as necessary. I have suffered from bad poison oak/ivy rashes in the past many times and this really helps. It's also cheap and you can do it as many times as you want.
posted by Jenna Brown at 11:28 AM on April 2, 2010
posted by Jenna Brown at 11:28 AM on April 2, 2010
Best answer: "... What would you do? Wait it out? (How long will that be, crystal ball?) Take the prednisone (they do give it to women who go into premature labor, so the infant's lungs develop)? Any homeopathic or natural remedies?"
posted by hazel to health & fitness
First step is do whatever you can to eliminate any traces of the urushiol oil that is the active allergen on your skin, from the poison oak. It's unpleasant to wash deeply irritated rashed skin thoroughly, but if you don't get that oil off, it will continue to drive the allergy reaction, and may be spread in your sleep. Warm water, soap, copious rinsing with more warm water, and doing all that without letting wash cloths, hands, or water that has been in contact with affected areas touch other parts of the body are key. Use rubber gloves, and a spray bottle to rinse, over a tub. Some people advocate using 91% rubbing alcohol or witch hazel as an additional topical solvent/drying agent after initial soap and warm water wash/rinse, but you have to be pretty insensible to pain to stand dousing badly erupted skin with either of these. The main thing is to get urushiol off of you, without spreading it to new areas in the process. So, no taking a big hot tub bath, or a full body shower, unless/until you've first thoroughly cleaned affected bare skin areas.
Next is to change/wash clothes and bed linens thoroughly, to control inadvertent spread of urushiol oil to new areas of your body, if you didn't thoroughly wash immediately on discovery of first outbreak. Urushiol oil can be spread effectively off the plants, for 24 to 48 hours after first contact, so if you seem to be getting new areas of rash, this may be the cause. Every bit of clothing or bed/bath linens you've touched since exposure, should go in the wash, for a hot water cycle (or two) with detergent and bleach.
As to how long it may take to "wait it out," my younger son is very allergic to urushiol oil, and when he gets exposed to any of the plants that make the stuff, he's in for 4 to 6 weeks of misery. Pregnancy hormones do things to your immune system that enable you to tolerate and carry foreign DNA in your body, so your normal reaction might be a lot different than what you'll experience now (either better, or worse, it's hard to say).
For questions about any prescription medication, your general rule should be to check with your doctor again, and if I were you, I check again about taking the prednisone. They may have wanted you to have it on hand in case your condition condition got exponentially worse, i.e. difficulty in breathing due to swollen throat, etc. But better to check by phone, than guess.
posted by paulsc at 11:30 AM on April 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by hazel to health & fitness
First step is do whatever you can to eliminate any traces of the urushiol oil that is the active allergen on your skin, from the poison oak. It's unpleasant to wash deeply irritated rashed skin thoroughly, but if you don't get that oil off, it will continue to drive the allergy reaction, and may be spread in your sleep. Warm water, soap, copious rinsing with more warm water, and doing all that without letting wash cloths, hands, or water that has been in contact with affected areas touch other parts of the body are key. Use rubber gloves, and a spray bottle to rinse, over a tub. Some people advocate using 91% rubbing alcohol or witch hazel as an additional topical solvent/drying agent after initial soap and warm water wash/rinse, but you have to be pretty insensible to pain to stand dousing badly erupted skin with either of these. The main thing is to get urushiol off of you, without spreading it to new areas in the process. So, no taking a big hot tub bath, or a full body shower, unless/until you've first thoroughly cleaned affected bare skin areas.
Next is to change/wash clothes and bed linens thoroughly, to control inadvertent spread of urushiol oil to new areas of your body, if you didn't thoroughly wash immediately on discovery of first outbreak. Urushiol oil can be spread effectively off the plants, for 24 to 48 hours after first contact, so if you seem to be getting new areas of rash, this may be the cause. Every bit of clothing or bed/bath linens you've touched since exposure, should go in the wash, for a hot water cycle (or two) with detergent and bleach.
As to how long it may take to "wait it out," my younger son is very allergic to urushiol oil, and when he gets exposed to any of the plants that make the stuff, he's in for 4 to 6 weeks of misery. Pregnancy hormones do things to your immune system that enable you to tolerate and carry foreign DNA in your body, so your normal reaction might be a lot different than what you'll experience now (either better, or worse, it's hard to say).
For questions about any prescription medication, your general rule should be to check with your doctor again, and if I were you, I check again about taking the prednisone. They may have wanted you to have it on hand in case your condition condition got exponentially worse, i.e. difficulty in breathing due to swollen throat, etc. But better to check by phone, than guess.
posted by paulsc at 11:30 AM on April 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
Cover the affected areas with cloths soaked in a solution of warm water and epsom salts. It will help the itching moderately and hustle along the drying out process that the skin needs. Be very, very vigilant about not reusing the cloths, and wash the shit out of them in hot water.
posted by 8dot3 at 11:56 AM on April 2, 2010
posted by 8dot3 at 11:56 AM on April 2, 2010
FWIW, I took prednisone for literally months on end during both my pregnancies because I have low platelets, which get even lower during pregnancy, and prednisone is an effective treatment for that. I was on daily prednisone from whatever point in the pregnancy my platelets dropped to a risky level (usually around the end of the first trimester) until the baby was born, after which I would taper off. Healthy babies both times. Personally, I wouldn't fret at all about a short course of prednisone, if there could be serious complications from the poison oak getting to your eyes or throat.
posted by not that girl at 12:16 PM on April 2, 2010
posted by not that girl at 12:16 PM on April 2, 2010
Second grouse. What does your obstetrician say about this? Please run any homeopathic or other type of remedy by your pharmacist first.
Have you been evaluated for PUPPS? It's an itchy rash that can happen in pregnancy, most often in third trimester. Any chance this is the culprit? (Have you actually been in poison oak recently?)
I hope you feel better.
posted by FergieBelle at 12:25 PM on April 2, 2010
Have you been evaluated for PUPPS? It's an itchy rash that can happen in pregnancy, most often in third trimester. Any chance this is the culprit? (Have you actually been in poison oak recently?)
I hope you feel better.
posted by FergieBelle at 12:25 PM on April 2, 2010
I don't know about the prednisone for pregnancy part but in my case (as a non-pregnant male) just taking one day's worth of prednisone was enough to get over the uncomfortable hump of itchy pain.
It's highly possible you are reinfecting yourself with the same clothes, shoes, or something else that also came into contact with the PO that day. You may try some of the tips listed in this forum:
http://www.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/message_183811
posted by rlef98 at 12:48 PM on April 2, 2010
It's highly possible you are reinfecting yourself with the same clothes, shoes, or something else that also came into contact with the PO that day. You may try some of the tips listed in this forum:
http://www.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/message_183811
posted by rlef98 at 12:48 PM on April 2, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for the replies so far. An oatmeal bath provided some relief.
I don't believe I am re-contaminating myself, because as soon as I noticed the rash, I washed my sheets, and have been careful to not reuse towels or clothing. I'm pretty sure I got it from my dog, and he's been washed as well.
I also don't think its PUPPS, which typically starts on the belly and is more splotchy.
I left a message with my midwife, so we'll see what she says. My doctor friend suggested a small, quick dose of prednisone, but my doctor warned against the rebound effect when not taking the full dose (3 weeks). Hmmm...
posted by hazel at 1:00 PM on April 2, 2010
I don't believe I am re-contaminating myself, because as soon as I noticed the rash, I washed my sheets, and have been careful to not reuse towels or clothing. I'm pretty sure I got it from my dog, and he's been washed as well.
I also don't think its PUPPS, which typically starts on the belly and is more splotchy.
I left a message with my midwife, so we'll see what she says. My doctor friend suggested a small, quick dose of prednisone, but my doctor warned against the rebound effect when not taking the full dose (3 weeks). Hmmm...
posted by hazel at 1:00 PM on April 2, 2010
I so don't want to be the "zomg scare story!" contributor here, but I just wanted to warn you to be very careful about keeping the affected area very clean and perhaps talking to your doctor about a proactive antibiotic course.
I say this because I had a systemic reaction to poison ivy a few years ago which became infection with staph (lots of open skin = uh oh). I ended up in the hospital on IV antiobiotics and steroids for a while, and then had to take incredibly huge doses of antibiotics that messed up my digestive system terribly. It was a two month ordeal and at one particularly bad point the doctors were discussing amputating my arms. Not cool.
So, you don't want that to happen, especially when pregnant. I urge you to bring it up with your doctor.
posted by charmcityblues at 1:31 PM on April 2, 2010
I say this because I had a systemic reaction to poison ivy a few years ago which became infection with staph (lots of open skin = uh oh). I ended up in the hospital on IV antiobiotics and steroids for a while, and then had to take incredibly huge doses of antibiotics that messed up my digestive system terribly. It was a two month ordeal and at one particularly bad point the doctors were discussing amputating my arms. Not cool.
So, you don't want that to happen, especially when pregnant. I urge you to bring it up with your doctor.
posted by charmcityblues at 1:31 PM on April 2, 2010
Best answer: My doctor friend suggested a small, quick dose of prednisone, but my doctor warned against the rebound effect when not taking the full dose (3 weeks). Hmmm...
There is something called a "pburst-pack" that is a very short-term prednisone series; something like five tables the first day, four the next, three the next... I've done it a couple of times when my platelets need to be brought back up quickly. It's not bad.
Not trying to sound like a prednisone booster here. I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine! I just have a fair amount of experience with that particular drug.
posted by not that girl at 2:01 PM on April 2, 2010
There is something called a "pburst-pack" that is a very short-term prednisone series; something like five tables the first day, four the next, three the next... I've done it a couple of times when my platelets need to be brought back up quickly. It's not bad.
Not trying to sound like a prednisone booster here. I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine! I just have a fair amount of experience with that particular drug.
posted by not that girl at 2:01 PM on April 2, 2010
I have no experience with poison ivy, but I did take a 6 day course of prednisone when I was pregnant with baby#1. It was a troublesome pregnancy, and I was prescribed it when my asthma got completely out of control, because you know, breathing is pretty is pretty important! :) If the doctor's intent isn't clear to you already, I second the motion to confirm whether the prednisone is to be held in reserve if things escalate or taken straight away. My little guy didn't suffer any after effects to the prednisone, but its not something to be casual about.
posted by Joh at 4:19 PM on April 2, 2010
posted by Joh at 4:19 PM on April 2, 2010
Best answer: this is all about risk vs. benefit, and no one can really be the judge of that except you, because only you know your risk tolerance, and no one can tell you "there is a 5% chance of X if you take prednisone this way" because there's simply no data on this. Some people are staunchly staunchly against any sort of medication or alcohol during pregnancy, others run the gamut from taking regular OTC proven-safe meds as needed, to drinking alcohol during pregnancy despite the fact that it's well known to cause birth defects because they just don't feel like the risk is that great if you only have a few drinks. I think if I was scratching my skin off with poison oak and having questionable throat swelling, I'd take the prednisone, but I can't put myself in your shoes, because I've never been pregnant and I don't know if I'd become obsessively antimedicine or not during it, I very well might.
IANYD, but the rebound with prednisone will not occur after a very short course, such as 3 days or 5 days. we do it all the time for people with allergic reactions or asthma. your doctor was talking about if you take like 2 weeks of it without tapering off the dose at the end, but there is no need to taper if you take a very short 'burst' course.
also, no offense to midwives, but what they're good at is delivering babies, not pharmacology and physiology. I would consult your physician directly about any course of action regarding medications.
best of luck and hope you are feeling better very soon.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:23 PM on April 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
IANYD, but the rebound with prednisone will not occur after a very short course, such as 3 days or 5 days. we do it all the time for people with allergic reactions or asthma. your doctor was talking about if you take like 2 weeks of it without tapering off the dose at the end, but there is no need to taper if you take a very short 'burst' course.
also, no offense to midwives, but what they're good at is delivering babies, not pharmacology and physiology. I would consult your physician directly about any course of action regarding medications.
best of luck and hope you are feeling better very soon.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:23 PM on April 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: update:
swelling as improved some (but relocated to arm), oozing is nearly gone, and throat is fine.
I'm going to let it run its course for another day and then do a prednisone burst if its worse.
I fully understand the limits of getting advice on the internet, but I was surprised to find out how little my doctor knew about treatment besides prednisone. I guess there aren't any other options really. As long as its just a comfort thing (or lack there of), and not a breathing issue, I will just suck it up and wait. I called my midwife (after already going to the doctor) only to find out if in her 20+ years of experience she knew of some good remedies or women who have taken prednisone while pregnant.
oh, and good point, charmcityblues, in all this trying to make the itch go away and soothe my skin, its easy to forget that it can get infected. I will be extra careful about that too.
thanks again!
posted by hazel at 11:46 AM on April 3, 2010
swelling as improved some (but relocated to arm), oozing is nearly gone, and throat is fine.
I'm going to let it run its course for another day and then do a prednisone burst if its worse.
I fully understand the limits of getting advice on the internet, but I was surprised to find out how little my doctor knew about treatment besides prednisone. I guess there aren't any other options really. As long as its just a comfort thing (or lack there of), and not a breathing issue, I will just suck it up and wait. I called my midwife (after already going to the doctor) only to find out if in her 20+ years of experience she knew of some good remedies or women who have taken prednisone while pregnant.
oh, and good point, charmcityblues, in all this trying to make the itch go away and soothe my skin, its easy to forget that it can get infected. I will be extra careful about that too.
thanks again!
posted by hazel at 11:46 AM on April 3, 2010
Ask your pharmacist whether it's safe for you to use an over the counter topical treatment like Ivy Dry. Stuff works miracles, but the label doesn't say anything about pregnancy.
posted by acorncup at 3:07 PM on April 3, 2010
posted by acorncup at 3:07 PM on April 3, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by anniecat at 10:59 AM on April 2, 2010